IN COULTER WOODS

The first thought that came into Dorothea’s mind when she saw Lee Hendon in the uniform of a Northern officer was concerned with April.

“Does she know?” the girl questioned herself, and found no ready answer. The suspicion had held in her mind that April was in communication with Lee Hendon; but it was not a suspicion likely to be shared by Hal, who, it was plain enough, had confided his mission to her, because, so far as he was aware, there was no other in the household who would have undertaken it.

This passed through her mind in a flash, for the young man before her seemed ill at ease and glanced about him apprehensively.

“You are very good to have come,” he said most politely. “I do not know who you are; but—”

“I am Mrs. May’s niece,” Dorothea interrupted. “My name is Dorothea Drummond and my home was in England.”

“Oh, I see,” Hendon replied comprehendingly. “I am most anxious to know how Hal is coming on. He was in a rather desperate condition when I last saw him.”

“To-day is really the first time he has had his senses,” Dorothea answered. “That is the reason there was no word from him sooner. He spoke to me of you this morning and I am here to find out how I can help you to get away.”

“What I want principally,” Hendon responded quickly, “is a Confederate uniform.”

Now for the second time within a few days Dorothea was asked to play what she felt to be a treacherous part to those whose hospitality she was enjoying. She knew in her heart that her sympathy for the Northern cause was growing and realized she would be glad to see the war end in favor of the Union. Yet here was a Federal officer asking for aid, which she had no more right to give than she had had in the case of Larry Stanchfield. All she could do was what she thought Hal might contrive were he here in her stead. Indeed, as far as a uniform was concerned, the granting of Lee Hendon’s request was beyond her power.

“You must know that is impossible,” she replied. “Confederate uniforms are hard to obtain.”

“Of course that’s true,” he granted. “I was only hoping Hal might have an extra one. These clothes are a bit awkward.”

“Yes,” she nodded, realizing that here lay his reason for hiding even from his former friends in the little town.

“If you can bring me some money,” he said, finally, after a moment of deep thought, “I shall be able to manage. All that I had and all that Hal had was spent in getting him home.”

“I brought some gold with me, thinking that was what you might need,” Dorothea replied, and held out to him a netted silk purse heavy with coins.

He took it mechanically, but shook his head and smiled.

“It was most thoughtful of you, but it wouldn’t be of the least use to me, you know. Where I am going, I couldn’t find a soul to change a ten-dollar gold piece. Haven’t you any paper money?”

“I’m sorry,” Dorothea replied, genuinely grieved at her lack of foresight. “It was stupid of me, wasn’t it, not to have realized that difficulty? I thought gold would be just the thing you would want.”

“Under ordinary conditions you would have been quite right,” Hendon hastened to assure her. “You have not the slightest reason to accuse yourself of thoughtlessness, and I must seem like a most ungrateful brute; but you see my life really depends upon it.”

“I can get you paper for it right away,” Dorothea suggested.

“That will be good of you,” he answered. “How soon do you think you can have it for me?”

“I can go into the village to-morrow morning,” Dorothea replied, and then hesitated. “But I can’t tell when I will be able to get off alone again.”

“And I dare not loiter about in these woods,” he told her. “It’s running too great a risk.”

“Then where can I meet you?” Dorothea asked. “Where are you living?” she added.

“With some turpentine gatherers,” he replied. “They have a hut deep in the woods, and—”

“Couldn’t I go there with the money?” Dorothea broke in.

“You would never find the place,” Lee said, with a shake of his head. “It would be easier for you to come back here, but I shall want to know exactly when to expect you. Which is your room in the May house?” he ended.

“The one at the southwest corner,” she replied after an instant’s effort to fix the points of the compass.

“Good,” he replied. “That is the first bit of luck we’ve had so far. I can see that room from a place I know in the woods. When you’re sure you’ll have a chance to get here alone, pull the curtain down all the way. If it is at night and you plan to reach me the next morning, a lighted candle will tell me. I haven’t much else to do, so I’ll be watching most of the time,” he added with a pathetic smile.

“Very well,” Dorothea agreed and prepared to start on.

“Don’t bring all that money in bills,” he cautioned her. “Five hundred dollars in State notes and two thousand, say, in Confederate money will be ample.”

“That hardly seems enough,” she replied, remembering Lucy’s saying that it took a barrelful of Confederate money to pay for the bung-hole.

“It will be plenty,” he assured her. “Good-by, and thank you very, very much for coming to my aid.”

He held out his hand and Dorothea took it, but at that moment there came the sounds of footsteps on the path beyond them.

“Go quickly, it’s Harriot looking for me,” she whispered, and Lee Hendon plunged into the thicket.

Dorothea turned, expecting to see her young cousin ready with a bantering remark at her slowness, but to her great astonishment April came toward her, walking at a rather rapid pace. An instant later the two girls stopped short and stared at each other.

To Dorothea there was but one explanation of this sudden appearance of April’s. She must have heard that Lee Hendon was hiding in the neighborhood. She wondered what excuse her beautiful cousin would make.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” April remarked. “I thought you were driving with Harry.”

“We have a wager on whether the horse can beat me home,” Dorothea answered, but at the moment she said it there came a crash in the bushes as if some one had fallen, in tripping over a log.

April’s keen glance went to Dorothea’s face and read there something of the confusion the younger girl felt. They stood in silence, awaiting a repetition of the strange noise, but there was no further sound.

“That was a rather curious commotion for these woods,” April said significantly.

“Are there deer about here?” Dorothea asked, quite calm now and returning her cousin’s look quietly. “Or bears? I didn’t know there were any large animals in this part of the country. But how comes it, April, that you are not with Hal?”

“Mother is there,” the girl answered. “She is better and wished me to get out into the air for a little while. I want something from Aunt Cora, and was on my way there.”

Dorothea nodded as if she understood. She did not dare to speak for fear of betraying the skepticism she felt at this explanation of April’s presence in the woods.

“I must hurry on,” she said, taking a step forward, “or Harriot will be coming to find me. Hope you have a nice walk.” And off she ran, leaving her cousin gazing after her for a moment or two.

“It was a blue uniform I saw, after all!” April said to herself as she walked on again.